DETROIT -- Fueled by unexpected sales gains at Ford Motor Co. and General Motors, U.S. auto sales rose 7.5 percent in January from a year earlier to 1.14 million units.
Analysts had predicted that January would be another month of bad news for the two domestic automakers. But GM's U.S. sales increased 6.0 percent, while Ford's U.S. sales rose 1.9 percent compared with January 2005.
The first month of the year also was strong for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., which posted a 14 percent sales gain, and American Honda Motor Co., which saw sales rise 20.7 percent. DaimlerChrysler's U.S. sales rose 4.8 percent in the month.
GM said its sales of full-sized SUVs grew 23 percent in January. But total light-truck sales for the automaker fell 0.3 percent compared with January 2005. Car sales were up 14.6 percent to 134,467 units, GM said.
The Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands all posted double-digit percentage sales increases for the month. Conversely, GMC sales fell 12.2 percent in January.
Ford Motor sales in January, which include Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, totaled 204,523 units. The automaker's performance was driven in part by strong sales of two new mid-sized sedans.
Sales of the Ford Fusion fell just one unit shy of 10,000 in January. Also, the Lincoln Zephyr was the top-selling model for the luxury brand during the month with 2,692 units sold.
Land Rover sales increased by one-third, aided by 1,400 units sold of the Range Rover Sport, which was not in showrooms a year ago.
Sales at Ford affiliate Mazda rose 6.5 percent in January.
January was the start of two big initiatives at General Motors -- the launch of redesigned full-sized SUVs and a major repricing move that aims to bring sticker prices closer to transaction prices.
Record month for Honda, Toyota
Sales last month set January records for the Honda and Acura divisions.
The Honda division got a push from sales of its redesigned Civic, which rose 56.2 percent. On the truck side, sales of the Odyssey minivan were up 10.3 percent and the Pilot SUV was up 13.1 percent.
Last month also was a record-setting month for the Toyota division and its U.S. sales arm.
Sales of the Prius hybrid rose 37.5 percent for the month to 7,654 units, while Avalon sales of 6,946 were 365.9 percent above last year, just before the redesigned version went on sale.
Toyota also got a bump from sales of the redesigned RAV4 SUV. January RAV4 sales totaled 9,382 units, up 120.4 percent from a year earlier.
PT Cruiser, 300 help drive Chrysler
Within the Chrysler group, the PT Cruiser and 300 notched big gains in January -- 45 percent for the PT Cruiser and 26 percent for the 300. The Dodge Charger also added 8,023 sales that weren't there in January 2005.
On the Mercedes-Benz side of the DaimlerChrysler house, sales of the redesigned M-class SUV in January doubled the total from a year earlier to 1,962 units.
Sales for the Volkswagen group, which includes Audi and Bentley, jumped 25.5 percent in January to 22,480 units. The Volkswagen brand posted sales gains for the redesigned Passat and Jetta sedans.
Korean brands Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 48,318 units in the United States in January. That was up 11.9 percent from January 2005.
The Hyundai brand saw big gains for the Accent car, up 62.2 percent, and the Santa Fe SUV, up 58.6 percent in January. But sales of the Sonata sedan were down 39.8 percent from a year earlier, when Hyundai was moving out old stock to prepare for the redesigned model.
The Kia brand got a boost from the redesigned Sedona minivan. Sedona sales in January were 5,484 units, a 42 percent increase from a year ago.
January cold for Nissan
But January was a colder month for Nissan North America. Combined sales of the Nissan and Infiniti divisions fell 0.9 percent from a year earlier to 75,889.
The Nissan division's truck sales took a hit, down 1.6 percent to 34,604. But the Murano sport wagon had its best January ever, with sales up 28.6 percent to 6,988.
At Infiniti, combined sales of the popular G35 dropped 19.1 percent from January 2005 to 3,943. Reskinned versions of the coupe and sedan will be introduced this year as 2007 models.
BMW, Porsche post gains
January was a good month for two German luxury makers.
BMW sales rose 12.4 percent from January 2005 to 22,256 last month. Sales of the 3 series jumped 21.5 percent to 8,546, and 5-series sales rose 42.8 percent to 4,681. On the other hand, sales of the Z4 roadster plunged to 126 units, down 71.9 percent from January 2005.
Porsche sales of 3,232 units in January was up 48.5 percent from January 2005.
Among other Japanese automakers:
Mitsubishi posted a 4 percent gain for the month, with sales of 7,469 units.
Suzuki sales jumped 33.2 percent to 7,210 units, making it the best January in the automaker's history.
Subaru of America Inc. said its January sales rose 0.4 percent to 12,384 units from the same month a year earlier.